This application claims the priority of German Patent Document 100 11 906.9, filed in Germany, Mar. 11, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to an arrangement for a belt level adjuster of a safety belt system which is arranged in a column or pillar of a vehicle, and a deformation element is arranged between a detent rail of the belt system and the column.
From German Patent Document 295 19 483 U1, an arrangement is known for a belt level adjuster of a safety belt system in a motor vehicle which is fastened by means of a detent rail by means of a deformation element on a column of a vehicle body. Furthermore, from German Patent Document DE 43 41 119 A1 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,456), a preassembled carrier unit for operating parts of a safety belt system is known, which receives the operating parts of the belt system and, on the whole, can be fastened on a column of the vehicle body. In addition, from German Patent Document DE 196 51 092 A1 (corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,687), a safety belt system for a vehicle is known which forms an anchoring rail for the belt arrangement which, by way of screws, is connected with a column wall of the vehicle body and bases the screws in an impact absorption element. In an impact situation, this element will deform and plastically absorb impact energy.
It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement for a belt level adjuster of a safety belt system which can be connected with a vehicle column and can be exchanged by a simple mounting and demounting method. Furthermore, an optimal energy absorption is to be ensured in the event of a head impact and damage to the column and of the carrier parts of the belt system are to be avoided.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing an arrangement for a belt level adjuster of a safety belt system which is arranged in a column of a vehicle, and a deformation element is arranged between a detent rail of the belt system and the column,
wherein the deformation element is arranged in a receptacle and the receptacle can be fastened in a cutout or an indentation of a column wall of a vehicle body column by way of screwing devices, and wherein a carrier plate is arranged on a frontal side of the deformation element, which has a connected belt system detent rail which is held in the receptacle.
Principal advantages achieved by means of the invention are that, as a result of the arrangement of the deformation element in a receptacle, the entire constructional unit, essentially consisting of the deformation element of the carrier plate with the detent rail and the belt level adjuster, can be inserted as a complete constructional unit in a cutout of a column of the vehicle body. This also permits a rapid mounting and demounting in a simple manner. The receptacle can be arranged in the B-column and/or the C-column.
So that a fastening of the detent rail on a vehicle body column can be achieved in a simple manner, it is connected by at least one screw with the carrier plate which, in turn, is supported in the receptacle on bent-away legs or similar bent-away parts. The receptacle is connected by screws with a side wall, either in the A-column or B-column or with both columns of the vehicle body structure. As a result, an exchange of the entire unit by being unscrewed from the vehicle column is permitted after a head impact and a deformed deformation element.
The detent rail is fastened on the carrier plate by at least one screwed connection and one hook-in connection, so that only the receptacle with the deformation element and the carrier plate need be exchanged.
The carrier plate according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention has a hook-in connection at the lower end which consists of a longitudinal slot or of two longitudinal slots which can be caused to engage with at least one protruding hook or two hooks on a web of the detent rail. A carrier plate according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention has at least one keyhole-shaped opening as a hook-in connection at the lower end, in which opening at least one pin of the detent rail can be engaged. These different carrier plates, also called adapter plates, are applied for using either a mechanical belt level adjuster or an electric belt level adjuster.
The deformation element may have different constructions and consists, for example, in certain preferred embodiments, of a deformable rib body, whose legs extend approximately at a right angle to the carrier plate and are spaced with respect to one another and horizontal plates are arranged between the legs and form hollow spaces with the legs. However, other types of deformation elements can also be used, such as honeycomb bodies or similar deformation bodies. What is important is only that the energy generated during the head impact can be plastically absorbed.
The receptacle is connected by way of screws with the body wall of the column. Furthermore, a welded solution is also contemplated. In this case, fastening angles are provided laterally of the receptacle which are connected with the vehicle body or with a column wall of the vehicle body by welding.
The advantage of the system is also that tensile forces as well as pressure forces are absorbed.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.